Artificial baits are commonly used in fishing due to their convenience and ease of use. Artificial baits are commercially available in many shapes and colors, and can be made to realistically simulate the appearance of live bait by using materials that have the soft texture of real food and molding the materials into shapes resembling fish, shrimp, worms, insects, and other, similar natural fish foods. The vast majority of all such soft plastic fishing products on the market are composed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC); however, PVC is not biodegradable or water-soluble, and thus may persist in the environment indefinitely. The PVC used for such applications is not biocompatible. Moreover, noxious and/or toxic plasticizers and cross-linkers are often used to make the PVC soft and pliable. Thus, the long-term presence of such PVC-based articles lost in bodies of water and/or swallowed by marine and other animals is a valid environmental concern. Still further, due to its hydrophobic nature, PVC is not capable of holding and releasing significant quantities of water-soluble feeding stimulants to attract fish.
For these reasons, an alternative composition for the construction of articles suitable for use as carriers of fish attractants would be desirable. It would be advantageous to provide a carrier for fish attractants that would have one or more of the following properties: biocompatibility, biodegradability, and/or more permeability to allow for containment and gradual release of significant amounts of fish attractants from the material. The present invention meets these needs.